Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security

Poland, Intelligence and Security

Germany's invasion of Poland was the catalyst for World War II.
During the Nazi occupation, Polish citizens were subject to interrogation
and torture at the hands of officers of the Gestapo, the Nazi secret
police. Holocaust death camps were located in occupied Poland. After the
war, Poland became a Soviet satellite nation. The fall of the Berlin Wall
in 1989 opened Poland to the west. The following year, elections swept the
labor union based Solidarity party into power. Poland then began the long
process of democratizing the government and reforming the economy.

Before World War II, Poland had one of the strongest intelligence forces
in Europe. The work of Polish spies and cryptographers broke several key
German codes before the outbreak of the war. Fleeing Poland during the
invasion, Polish agents successfully smuggled code breaking information
and a German Enigma cipher machine to British Military Intelligence.
Polish intelligence information directly aided British cryptography
efforts at Bletchley Park.

Poland's Ministry of Internal Affairs governs domestic intelligence
and security operations that relate to national security issues. In June
2002, the government dissolved the Office of State Protection (UOP).
Though the organization was created after the fall of the communist
regime, it failed to overcome public fears about its close association
with former communist intelligence services and secret police forces. Two
new agencies were established, the Domestic Security Office and the
Intelligence Service. The Domestic Security Office works with law
enforcement to protect diplomats, government officials, and national
assets. The Intelligence Service directs most civilian intelligence
operations, including counter-intelligence and counter-espionage.

Poland maintains an army, navy, and air defense force. Each military
branch of service employs its own specially trained intelligence units.
Operations that utilize military forces and government intelligence
personnel, however, are supervised by the National Security Council (RBN)
or a joint intelligence council. The Ministry of National Defense governs
the Military Information Service, the electronic, signals, and
communications intelligence agency.

While most of Eastern and Central Europe is still struggling with economic
reform, Poland's government-driven rapid revitalization program has
yielded the most robust economy in the region. Poland joined the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1999, and is currently pursuing
membership in the European Union (EU).